Railways: stations

This note gives information on who owns the country’s rail stations and is responsible for their maintenance; station accessibility and safety.

There has been a flurry of media interest in this issue over the past few years. Partly because of the conditions under which train operating companies must upgrade, maintain and staff railway stations under the franchise agreements and separately in Greater London due to passenger safety issues.

There has also been a squeeze on spending in this area following the recession, under both the previous and present governments. However, both found extra funding for station improvement schemes generally, and specifically to make stations more accessible for disabled people. The present government is currently trialling a pilot to see whether the passenger experience could be improved by giving train operators responsibility for long-term station maintenance and renewals